China to increase pilot cross-border e-com cities

Cross-border e-commerce is becoming a new driving force of China’s foreign trade growth, as the State Council looks to increase the number of pilot cross-border e-commerce cities. Already, a number of cities have been declared cross-border e-commerce experimental zones. These include Quanzhou, Dongguan, Wuhan, Harbin, Hohhot and Urumqi.

At its executive meeting this month, the State Council proposed improving the systems and mechanisms adaptable to new industrial formats, the Hong Kong Trade and Development Centre Research said. As well as expanding pilot cross-border e-commerce cities, the council proposed trading based on market-oriented sourcing and integrated foreign trade enterprises, in addition to fostering new development forces.

Increasing the number of pilot cross-border e-commerce cities will stimulate export growth and stabilise domestic consumption.

Following the setting up of country’s first cross-border e-commerce zone in Hangzhou, in January this year, the council set up similar pilot zones in 12 cities including Tianjin, Shanghai, Chongqing, Hefei, Zhengzhou, Guangzhou and Chengdu, providing new support for the development of foreign trade.

However, high cost and slow logistics remain the main constraints of cross-border e-commerce development.